 14. It was a curious scene, when the momentous interview which was to determine our fate and that of Mars began. Aina had been warned of what was coming. We in the flagship had all learned to speak her language with more less ease, but it was deemed best that the Heidelberg professor, assisted by one of his colleagues, should act as interpreter. The girl, flushed with excitement of the novel situation, fully appreciated the importance of what was about to occur, and looking more charming than before, stood at one side of the principal apartment. Directly facing her were the interpreters, and the rest of us, all with year's intents and eyes focused upon Aina, stood in a double row behind them. As year to four I am setting down her words translated into our own tongue, having taken only so much liberty as to connect the sentences into a stricter sequence than they had when falling from her lips in reply to the questions that were showered upon her. 15. She has a plan. 16. You will never be victorious, she said, if you attack them openly as you have been doing. They are too strong and too numerous. They are well prepared for such attacks, because they have had to resist them before. They have waded war with the inhabitants of the asteroid Ceres, where people are giants greater than themselves. Their enemies from Ceres have attacked them here, hence these fortifications with the weapons pointing skyward, and the great air fleets which we have encountered. 16. But there must be some points, said Mr. Edison, where we can. 17. Yes, yes, interrupted the girl quickly. There is one blow you can deal them, which they could not withstand. What is that, eagerly inquired a commander? 18. You can drown them out. 18. How, with the canals? 18. We must drown them out. 18. Yes, I will explain to you. I have already told you, and in fact you must have seen it for yourselves, that there are almost no mountains on Mars. 19. A very learned man on my race used to say that the reason was because Mars is so very old, the world, that the mountains it once had, have been almost completely leveled, and the entire surface of the planet had become a great plain. There are depressions, however, most of which are occupied by the seas. The greater part of the land lies below the level of the oceans. In order at the same time to irrigate the soil and make it fruitful, and to protect themselves from overflows by the ocean breaking in upon them, the Martians have constricted the immense and innumerable canals which you see running in all directions over the continents. There is one period in the year, and that period has now arrived, when there is special danger of a great deluge. Most of the oceans of Mars lie in the southern hemisphere. When it is summer in that hemisphere, the great masses of ice and snow collected around the south pole melt rapidly away. Yes, that is so, broken one of our astronomers, who was listening attentively. Many a time I have seen the vast snow fields around the southern pole of Mars completely disappear as the summer sun rose high upon them. With the melting of these nos continues to aina. A rapid rise in the level of the water in the southern ocean occurs. On the side facing these oceans, the continents of Mars are sufficiently elevated to prevent an overflow, but near the equator the level of the island sinks lower. With your telescopes, you have no doubt noticed that there is a great bend in sea connecting the oceans of the south with those of the north and running through the midst of the continents. Quite so said the astronomer who had spoken before. We call it the thirdest major. The long narrow sea aina went on, forms a great channel through which the flood of waters caused by the melting of the southern polar's nose flows swiftly toward the equator and then on toward the north until it reaches the sea basins which existed there. At that point it is rapidly turning to ice and snow because of course, while it is summer in the southern hemisphere it is winter in the northern. Mars will be ours. The thirdest major I'm giving our name to the channel of communication in place of that by which the girl called it. It's like a great safety valve which by permitting the waters to flow northward saves the continents from inundation. But when mid-summer arrives the snows around the pole having been completely melted away the flood seizes and the water begins to recede. At this time but for a device which the Martians have employed the canals connected with the oceans will run dry and the vegetation left without moisture under the summer sun would quickly perish. To prevent this they have built a series of enormous gates extending completely across the thirdest major at its narrowest point that it did 25 degrees south. These gates are all controlled by machinery collected at a single point on the shore of the strait. As soon as the flood in the thirdest major begins to recede the gates are closed and the water being thus restrained the irrigating canals are kept full long enough to mature the harvests. The Cleo, the Cleo at last exclaimed Mr. Edison that is a place where we shall nip them. If we can't close those gates now at the moment of high tide we shall flood the country. Did he say he continued to turn into Ina that the movement of the gates was all controlled from a single point? The Great Powerhouse. Yes, the girl there is a great building powerhouse full of tremendous machinery which I once entered when my father was taken there by his master and where I saw one Martian by turning a little handle caused a great line of gates stretching a hundred miles across the sea to slowly shut in, edge to edge until the flow of the water toward the north had been stopped. How is the building protected? So completely replied Ina that my only fear is that you may not be able to reach it. An account of the danger from their enemies on Sirius the Martians have fortified it strongly on all sides and have even surrounded it and covered it overhead with a greater electrical network. To touch it would be instant death. Ah said Mr. Edison. They have got an electric shield have they? Well I think we shall be able to manage that. Anyhow he continued. We have got to get into that powerhouse and we have got to close those gates and we must not lose much time in making up our minds how it is to be done. Luckily this is our only chance. We have not force enough to contend in open battle with the Martians but if we can flood them out and thereby render the engines contending their fortifications useless perhaps we shall be able to deal with the airships which will be all the means of defense that will then remain to them. This idea commanded itself to all the leaders of the expedition. He was determined to make a reconnaissance at once but he would not do for us to approach the planet too hastily and we certainly could not think of landing upon it in broad daylight. Still as long as we were yet at a considerable distance from ours we felt that we should be safe from observation because so much time had lapsed while we were hidden behind dames that the Martians had undoubtedly concluded that we are no longer in existence. So we boldly quitted the little satellite with our entire squadron and once more rapidly approached the red planet of war. This time was to be a death grapple and our chances of victory still seemed good. Ready for a death grapple. As soon as we arrived so near the planet that there was danger of our being actually seen we took pains to keep continually in the shadow of Mars and the Mars surely to conceal our presence all lights upon the ship were extinguished. The precaution of the commander even went so far as to have the smooth metallic sides of the cars blackened over so that they should not reflect light and thus become visible to the Martians as shining specks moving suspiciously among the stars. The precise location of the great powerhouse on the shores of the 30s major having been carefully ascertained the squadron dropped down one night into the upper limits of the Martian atmosphere directly over the Gulf. Then a consultation was called on the flagship and a plan of campaign was quickly devised. It was deemed wise that the attempt should be made with a single electrical ship but that the others should be kept hovering near ready to respond on the instant to any signal for aid which might come from below. It was thought that notwithstanding the wonderful defenses which according to Aina's account surrounded the building a small party would have a better chance of success than a large one. Mr. Edison was certain that the electrical network which was described as covering the powerhouse would not prove a serious obstruction to us because by carefully sweeping the space where we intended to pass with the disintegrators before quitting the ship the netting could be sufficiently cleared away to give us an interrupted passage. Our first intention was to have 20 men each armed with two disintegrators that being the largest number that one person could carry to advantage. Descend from the electrical ship and make the venture. But after further discussion this number was reduced first to a dozen and finally to only four. These four consisted of Mr. Edison Colonel Smith Mr. Sidney Phillips and myself. Both by her own request and because we could not help feeling that her knowledge of the locality would be indispensable to us Aina was also included in our party but not of course as a fighting member of it. It was about an hour after midnight when the ship in which we were to make the venture parted from the remainder of the squadron and dropped cautiously down. The blaze of electric lights running away in various directions indicated the lines of innumerable canals with the habitations crowded along their banks which came to a focus at a point on the continent of Aria westward from the 30s major. Destroying the Martians with Aina's aid our warriors repair an awful revenge on the enemy. We stopped the electrical ship at an elevation of perhaps 300 feet above the vast roof of an structure which Aina shared as was the building we were in search of. Here we remained for a few minutes cautiously reconatching. On that side of the powerhouse which was opposite to the shore of the 30s major there was a thick grove of trees lighted beneath as was apparent from the illumination which here and there streamed up through the cover of leaves but nevertheless dark and gloomy above the tree tops. The electric network stands over the grove as well as over the building, said Aina. This was lucky for us because we wished to descend among the trees and by destroying part of the network over the tree tops we could reach the sheltered we desired and at the same time pass within the line of electric defences. With increased caution and almost holding our breath lest we should make some noise that might reach the ears of the sentinels beneath we cause the cartocetto gently down until we caught sight of a metallic net strutted in the air between us and the trees. After our first encounter with the Martians on the asteroid where as I have related some metal which was included in their dress resisted the action of their desintegrators Mr. Edison had readjusted the range of vibrations covered by the instruments and since then we have found nothing that did not yield to them. Consequently we had no fear that the metal of the network would not be destroyed. There was danger, however, of arising attention by shattering holes through the tree tops. This could be avoided by first carefully ascertaining how far away the network was and then with the adjustable mirrors attached to the desintegrators focusing the vibratory charge at that distance. Overcoming their precautions So successful were we that we opened a considerable gap in the network without doing any perceptible damage to the trees beneath. The ship was cautiously lowered through the opening and brought to rest among the upper branches of one of the tallest trees. Colonel Smith, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Edison and myself at once clambered out upon a strong lamb. For a moment a feared our arrival had been betrayed on account of the altogether too noisy contest there arose between Colonel Smith and Mr. Phillips as to which of them should assist Aina. To settle the dispute I took charge of her myself. A length we were all safely in the tree. Then followed the still more dangerous undertaking of descending from this great height to the ground. Fortunately the branches were very close together and they extended down within a short distance of the soil. So the actual difficulties of the descent were not very great after all. The one thing that we had particularly to bear in mind was the absolute necessity of making no noise. A length the descent was successfully accomplished and we all five stood together in the shadow at the foot of the great tree. The grove was so thick around that while there was an abundance of electric lights among the trees their illumination did not fall upon us where we stood. Peering cautiously through the vistas in various directions we ascertained our location with respect of the wall of the building. Like all the structures that we had seen on Mars it was composed of polished red metal. Looking for an entrance. Where's the entrance inquired Mr. Edison in a whisper. Come softly this way and look out for the centenal replied Aina. Gripping our disintegrators firmly and screwing up our courage with noiseless steps we followed the grove among the shadows of the trees. We had one very great advantage. The Martians had evidently placed so much confidence in the electric network which surrounded the powerhouse that they never dreamed of enemies being able to penetrate it at least without giving warning of their coming. But the hole which we had blown in this network with the disintegrators had been made noiselessly and Mr. Edison believed since no enemies had appeared that our operations had been betrayed by no automatic sign to watchers inside the building. Consequently we had every reason to think that we now stood within the line of defense in which they reposed the greatest confidence without their having the least suspicion of our presence. Aina assured us that on the occasion of a former visit to the powerhouse there had been but two centenals on guard at the entrance. At the inner end of a long passage leading to the interior she said there were two more. Beside these there were three or four Martian engineers watching the machinery in the interior of the building. A number of our ships were supposed to be on guard around the structure but possibly their vigilance had been relaxed because not long ago the Martians had sent an expedition or gain series which had been so successful that the power of that planet to make an attack upon Mars had for the present been destroyed. Supposing us to have been annihilated in the recent battle among the clouds they would have no fear or cause for vigilance on our account. The entrance to the great structure was low at least when measured by the stature of the Martians. Evidently the intention was that only one person at a time should find room to pass through it. Drawing cautiously near we discerned the outlines of two gigantic forms standing in the darkness, one on either side of the door. Connor's mate whispered to me The Disintegrator again If you will take the fellow on the right I will attend to the other one. Adjusting our aim as carefully as was possible in the gloom. Connor's mate and I simultaneously discharged our Disintegrators sweeping them rapidly up and down in the manner which had become familiar to us when endeavoring to destroy one of their gigantic Martians with a single stroke. And so successful were we that the two sentinels disappeared as if they had been ghosts of the night. Instantly we all hurried forward and entered the door before as the extended long straight passage brightly illuminated by a number of electric candles. Its polished sides gleamed with blood-red reflections and the gallery terminated at a distance of two or three hundred feet with an opening into a large chamber beyond on the further side of which we could see part of a gigantic and complicated mass of machinery. Making as little noise as possible we pushed our head along the passage but when he had arrived within a distance of a dozen paces from the inner end we stopped and Connor's mate, getting down upon his knees trapped forward until he had reached the inner end of the passage. There he peered cautiously around the edge into the chamber and turning his head a moment later beckoned us to come forward. We crept to his side and looking out into the vast apartment could perceive no enemies. What had become of the sentinels supposed to stand at the inner end of the passage we could not imagine. At any rate they were not at their posts. In the great powerhouse the chamber was an immense square room at least a hundred feet in height and four hundred feet on a side and almost filling the wall opposite to us was an intricate display of machinery, wheels, levers, rods and polished plates. This we had no doubt was one end of the great engine which opened and shut the great gates that could damn a notion. There is no one inside, said Colonel Smith. Then we must act quickly, said Mr Edison. Where, he said, turned to Ina is the handle by turning which you saw the Martian close the gates. Ina looked about in bewilderment. The mechanism before us was so complicated that even an expert machination would have been excusable for fighting himself unable to understand it. There were scores of knobs and handles all glistening in the electric light any one of which, so far as the uninstricted could tell, might have been the master key that controlled the whole complex apparatus. The magic lever. Quick, said Mr Edison, where is it? The girl in her confusion ran this way and that gazing hopelessly upon the machinery but evidently utterly unable to help us. To remain here unactive was not merely to invite distractions for ourselves but was sure to bring certain failure upon the purpose of the expedition. All of us began instantly to look about in search of the proper handle seizing every crank and hill inside and striving to turn it. Stop that, shouted Mr Edison. You may say the whole thing wrong. Don't touch anything until we have found the right lever. But to find that seemed to most of us now utterly beyond the power of man. It was at this critical moment that the wonderful depth and reach of Mr Edison's mechanical genius displayed itself. He stepped back, ran his eye quickly over the whole immense mass of wheels, handle bolts, bars and levers. Pause for an instant. As if making up his mind, then said decidedly, there it is, and in stepping quickly forward selected a small wheel amid a dozen others all furnished at this circumference with handles like those of a pilot's wheel and giving it a quick rent turned it half way round. Surprised by the enemy. At this instant a startling shot fell upon our ears. There was a thunderous clatter behind us and turning we saw three gigantic Martians rushing forward. End of Chapter 14 By Garrett P. Service Chapter 15 Sweep them, sweep them! cried Colonel Smith as he brought his disintegrator to bear. Mr Phillips and I instantly followed his example and thus we swept the Martians into eternity while Mr Edison coolly continued his manipulations of the wheel. The effect of what he was doing became apparent in less than half a minute. A shiver ran through the massive machinery and shook the entire building. Look! Look! cried Sidney Phillips who had stepped a little apart from the others. The Grand Canal We all ran to his side and found ourselves in front of a great window which opened through the side of the engine giving a view of what lay in front of it. There gleaming in the electric lights was the Cirrus Major, its waters washing high against the walls of the vast powerhouse. Running directly out from the shore there was an immense metallic gate at least 400 yards in length and rising 300 feet above the present level of the water. This great gate was slowly swinging upon an invisible hinge in such a manner that in a few minutes it would evidently stand across the current from the Cirrus Major at right angles. Beyond was a second gate which was moving in the same manner. Further on was a third gate and then another and another as far as the eye could reach evidently extending in an unbroken series completely across the Great Strait. As the gates, with accelerated motion when the current caught them, clang together we beheld a spectacle that almost stopped the beating of our hearts. A great rush of waters. The great Cirrus seemed to gather itself for a moment and then it leaped upon the obstruction and hurled its waters into one vast foaming geyser that seemed to shoot a thousand feet skyward. But the metal gates withstood the shock though buried from our sight in the seething white mass and the baffled waters instantly swirled round in 10,000 gigantic eddies rising to the level of our window and beginning to inundate the powerhouse before we fairly comprehended our peril. We have done the work, said Mr. Edison, smiling grimly. Now we had better get out of this before the flood bursts upon us. The warning came none too soon. It was necessary to act upon it at once if we would save our lives. Even before we could reach the entrance of the long passage through which we had come into the great engine room the water had risen halfway to our knees. Colonel Smith, catching Aina under his arm, led the way. The roar of the madden torrent behind deafened us. As we ran through the passage the water followed us with a wicked swishing sound and within five seconds it was above our knees in ten seconds up to our wastes. The great danger now was that we should be swept from our feet and once down in that torrent there would have been little chance of our ever getting our heads above its level. Supporting ourselves as best we could with the aid of the walls we partly ran and were partly swept along until when we reached the outer end of the passage and emerged into the open air the flood was swirling about our shoulders. Escaping the water here there was an opportunity to clutch some of the ornamental work surrounding the doorway and thus we managed to stay our mad progress and gradually to work out of the current until we found that the water having now an abundance of room to spread had fallen again as low as our knees. But suddenly we heard the thunder of the banks tumbling behind us and to the right and left and the savage growl of the released water as it sprang through the breaches. To my dying day I think I shall not forget the sight of a great fluid column that burst through the dyke at the edge of the grove of trees and by the tremendous impetus of its rush seemed turned into a solid thing. Like an enormous ram it plowed the soil to a depth of twenty feet uprooting acres of the immense trees like stubble turned over by the plow share. The uproar was so awful that for an instant the coolest of us lost our self-control. Yet we knew that we had not the fraction of a second to waste. The breaking of the banks had caused the water again rapidly to rise about us. In a little while it was once more as high as our wastes. In the excitement and confusion deafened by the noise and blinded by the flying foam we were in danger of becoming separated in the flood. We no longer knew certainly in what direction was the tree by whose aid we had ascended from the electrical ship. We pushed first one way and then another staggering through the rushing waters in search of it. Finally we succeeded in locating it and with all our strength hurried toward it. Then there came a noise as if the globe of Mars had been split asunder and another great head of water hurled itself down upon the soil before us without taking time to spread bored of vast cavity in the ground and scooped out the whole of the grove before our eyes as easily as a gardener lifts a sod with a spade. Are we too destroyed? Our last hope was gone. For a moment the level of the water around us sank again as it poured into the immense excavation where the grove had stood but in an instant it was reinforced from all sides once more rapidly to rise. We gave ourselves up for lost and indeed there did not seem any possible hope of salvation. Even in the extremity I saw Colonel Smith lifting the form of Aina who had fainted above the surface of the surging water while Sidney Phillips stood by his side and aided him in supporting the unconscious girl. We stayed a little too long was the only sound I heard from Mr. Edison. The huge bulk of the powerhouse partially protected us against the force of the current and the water spun around us in great eddies. These swept us this way and that but yet we managed to cling together determined not to be separated in death if we could avoid it. Suddenly a cry rang out directly above our heads jump for your lives and be quick. At the same instant the ends of several ropes splashed into the water. We glanced upward and there within three or four yards of our heads hung the electrical ship which we had left moored at the top of the tree. Tom, the expert electrician from Mr. Edison's shop who had remained in charge of the ship had never once dreamed of such a thing as deserting us. The moment he saw the water bursting over the dam and evidently flooding the building which we had entered he cast off his moorings as we subsequently learned and hovered over the entrance to the powerhouse getting as low down as possible and keeping a sharp watch for us. But most of the electric lights in the vicinity had been carried down by the fresh rush of water and in the darkness he did not see us when we emerged from the entrance. It was only after the sweeping away of the grove of trees had allowed a flood of light to stream upon the scene from a cluster of electric lamps on a distant portion of the bank on the cirrus that had not yet given way that he caught sight of us. Mars is ruined. Immediately he began to shout to attract our attention but in the awful uproar we could not hear him. Getting together all the ropes that he could lay his hands on he steered the ship to a point directly over us and then dropped down within a few yards of the boiling flood. Now as he hung over our heads and saw the water up to our very necks and still swiftly rising he shouted again Catch hold for God's sake! The three men who were with him in the ship seconded his cries. But by the time we had fairly grasped the ropes so rapidly was the flood rising we were already afloat. With the assistance of Tom and his men we were rapidly drawn up and immediately Tom reversed the electrical polarity and the ship began to rise. At that same instant with a crash that shivered the air the immense metallic powerhouse gave way and was swept tumbling like a hill torn loose from its base over the very spot where a moment before we had stood. One second's hesitation on the part of Tom and the electrical ship would have been battered into a helpless wad of metal by the careening mass. The deluge on Mars how the Martians met their doom through Ayena's plans. When we had attained a considerable height so that we could see a great distance on either side the spectacle became even more fearful than it was when we were close to the surface. On all sides banks and dykes were going down trees were being uprooted buildings were tumbling and the ocean was achieving that victory over the land which had long been its due but which the ingenuity of the inhabitants of Mars had postponed for ages. Far away we could see the front of the advancing wave crested with foam that sparkled in the electric lights and as it swept on it changed the entire aspect of the planet in front of it all life behind it all death. Eastward our view extended across the Sirtis major toward the land of Libya and the region of Isidus. On that side also the dykes were giving way under the tremendous pressure and the floods were rushing toward the sunrise which had just begun to streak the eastern sky. The continents that were being overwhelmed on the western side of the Sirtis were Meroe, Aerea, Arabia, Edom and Eden. The water beneath us continually deepened the current from the melting snows around the southern pole was at its strongest and one could hardly have believed that any obstruction put in its path would have been able to arrest it and turn it into these two all swallowing deluges sweeping east and west. But as we now perceived the level of the land over a large part of its surface was hundreds of feet below the ocean so that the ladder, when once the barriers were broken rushed into depressions that yawned to receive it. Waiting for the flood the point where we had dealt our blow was far removed from the great capital of Mars around the lake of the sun and we knew that we should have to wait for the floods to reach that point before the desired effect could be produced. By the nearest way the water had at least 5,000 miles to travel. We estimated that its speed where we hung above it was as much as a hundred miles an hour. Even if that speed were maintained more than two days and nights would be required for the floods to reach the lake of the sun. But as the water rushed on it would break the banks of all the canals intersecting the country and these, being also elevated above the surface would add the impetus of their escaping waters to hasten the advance of the flood. We calculated, therefore, that about two days would suffice to place the planet at our mercy. Halfway from the Cirrus Major to the lake of the sun another great connecting link between the southern and northern ocean basins called in our maps of Mars the Indus existed. And through this channel a great current must be setting from the south toward the north. The flood that we had started would reach and break the banks of the Indus within one day. Flooding hundreds of canals. The flood traveling in the other direction towards the east would have considerably further to go before reaching the neighborhood of the lake of the sun. It, too, would involve hundreds of great canals as it advanced and would come plunging into the lake of the sun and its surrounding forts and cities probably about half a day later than the arrival of the deluge that traveled towards the west. Now that we had let the awful destroyer loose we almost shrank from the thought of the consequences which we had produced. How many millions would perish as the result of our deed we could not even guess. Many of the victims, so far as we knew might be entirely innocent of enmity toward us or of the evil which had been done to our native planet. But this was a cause in which the good, if they existed, must suffer with the bad on account of the wicked deeds of the latter. I have already remarked that the continents of Mars were higher in their northern and southern borders where they faced the great oceans. These natural barriers bore to the main mass of the land somewhat the relation of the edge of a shallow dish to its bottom. Their rise on the land side was too gradual to give them the appearance of hills but on the side toward the sea they broke down in steep banks and cliffs several hundred feet in height. We guessed that it would be in the direction of these elevations that the inhabitants would flee and those who had timely warning might thus be able to escape in case the flood did not as it seemed possible it might in its first mad rush overtop the highest elevations on Mars. A dreadful scene. As day broke and the sun slowly rose upon the dreadful scene beneath us we began to catch sight of some of the fleeing inhabitants. We had shifted the position of the fleet toward the south and were now suspended above the southeastern corner of Eurya. Here a high bank of reddish rock confronted the sea whose waters ran lashing and roaring along the bluffs to supply the rapid draft produced by the emptying of the Cirrus Major. Along the shore there was a narrow line of land hundreds of miles in length but less than a quarter of a mile broad which still rose slightly above the surface of the water and this land of refuge was absolutely packed with the monstrous inhabitants of the planet who had fled hither on the first warning that the water was coming. In some places it was so crowded that the latter comers could not find standing ground on dry land but were continually slipping back and falling into the water. It was an awful sight to look at them. It reminded me of pictures I had seen of the deluge in the days of Noah when the waters had risen to the mountaintops and men, women and children were fighting for a foothold upon the last dry spots that the earth contained. We were all moved by a desire to help our enemies and we were overwhelmed with feelings of pity and remorse but to aid them now was utterly beyond our power. The mighty floods were out and the end was in the hands of God. Fortunately we had little time for these thoughts because no sooner had the day begun to dawn around us than the airships of the Martians appeared. Evidently the people in them were dazed by the disaster and uncertain what to do. Well, whether at first they comprehended the fact that we were the agents who had produced the cataclysm. The flocking of the airships. But as the morning advanced the airships came flocking in greater and greater numbers from every direction many swooping down close to the flood in order to rescue those who were drowning. Hundreds gathered along the slip of land which was crowded as I have described with refugees and other hundreds rapidly assembled about us evidently preparing for an attack. We had learned in our previous contests with the airships of the Martians that our electrical ships had a great advantage over them not merely in rapidity and facility of movement but in the fact that our disintegrators could sweep in every direction while it was only with much difficulty that the Martian airships could discharge their electrical strokes at an enemy poised directly above their heads. Accordingly, orders were instantly flashed to all the squadron to rise vertically to an elevation so great that the rarity of the atmosphere would prevent the airships from attaining the same level outwitting the enemy. This maneuver was executed so quickly that the Martians were unable to deal us a blow before we were poised above them in such a position that they could not easily reach us. Still they did not mean to give up the conflict. Presently we saw one of the largest of their ships maneuvering in a very peculiar manner the purpose of which we did not at first comprehend. Its forward portion commenced slowly to rise until it pointed upward like the nose of a fish approaching the surface of the water. The moment it was in this position an electrical bolt was darted from its prow and one of our ships received a shock which, although it did not prove fatal to the vessel itself killed two or three men aboard it, disarranged its apparatus and rendered it for the time being useless. Ah, that's their trick, is it? said Mr. Edison. We must look out for that. Whenever you see one of the airships beginning to stick its nose up after that fashion blaze away at it. An order to this effect was transmitted throughout the squadron. At the same time several of the most powerful disintegrators were directed upon the ship which had executed the strategic and reduced to a wreck it dropped whirling like a broken kite until it fell into the flood beneath. A thousand Martian ships. Still the Martian ships came flocking in ever greater numbers from all directions. They made desperate attempts to attain the level at which we hung above them. This was impossible, but many getting an impetus by a swift run in the denser portion of the atmosphere beneath succeeded in rising so high that they could discharge their electric artillery with considerable effect. Others, with more or less success, repeated the maneuver of the ship which had first attacked us and thus the battle became gradually more general and more fierce until, in the course of an hour or two, our squadron found itself engaged with probably a thousand airships which blazed with incessant lightning strokes and were able all too frequently to do a serious damage. But on our part the battle was waged with a cool determination and a consciousness of insuperable advantage which boated ill for the enemy. Only three or four of our sixty electrical ships were seriously damaged while the work of the disintegrators upon the crowded fleet that floated beneath us was terrible to look upon. They battle on in earnest. Our strokes fell thick and fast on all sides. It was like firing into a flock of birds that could not get away. Notwithstanding all their efforts, they were practically at our mercy. Shattered into unrecognizable fragments, hundreds of the airships continually dropped from their great height to be swallowed up in the boiling waters. Yet they were game to the last. They made every effort to get at us and in their frenzy they seemed to discharge their bolts without much regard to whether friends or foes were injured. Our eyes were nearly blinded by the ceaseless glare beneath us and the uproar was indescribable. At length, after this fearful contest had lasted for at least three hours, it became evident that the strength of the enemy was rapidly weakening. Nearly the whole of their immense fleet of airships had been destroyed or so far damaged that they were barely able to float. Just so long, however, as they showed signs of resistance, we continued to pour our merciless fire upon them and the signal to cease was not given until the airships which had escaped serious damage began to flee in every direction. Victory is ours. Thank God the thing is over, said Mr. Edison. We have got the victory at last but how we shall make use of it is something that at present I do not see. But will they not renew the attack? asked someone. I do not think they can, was the reply. We have destroyed the very flower of their fleet. And better than that, said Colonel Smith, we have destroyed their Elan. We have made them afraid. Their discipline is gone. But this was only the beginning of our victory. The floods below were achieving a still greater triumph. And now that we had conquered the airships we dropped within a few hundred feet of the surface of the water and then turned our faces westward in order to follow the advance of the deluge and see whether, as we had hoped, it would overwhelm our enemies at the very center of their power. In a little while we had overtaken the front wave which was still devouring everything. We saw it bursting the banks of the canals, sweeping away forests of gigantic trees and swallowing cities and villages leaving nothing but a broad expanse of swirling and eddying waters which, in consequence of the prevailing red hue of the vegetation and the soil looked as shuddering we gazed down upon it like an ocean of blood flecked with foam and steaming with the escaping life of the planet from whose veins it gushed. As we skirted the southern borders of the continent the same dreadful scenes which we had beheld on the coast of Iaria presented themselves. Crowds of refugees thronged the high border of the land and struggled with one another for a foothold against the continually rising flood. Watching the destruction we saw too flitting in every direction but rapidly fleeing before our approach many airships evidently crowded with Martians but not armed either for offense or defense. These, of course, we did not disturb for merciless as our proceedings seen even to ourselves we had no intention of making war upon the innocent or upon those who had no means to resist. What we had done it had seemed to us necessary to do but henceforth we were resolved to take no more lives if it could be avoided. Thus during the remainder of that day all of the following night and all of the next day we continued upon the heels of the advancing flood. End of Chapter 15 Recording by Roger Maline Chapter 16 of Edison's Conquest of Mars This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Roger Maline Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Service Chapter 16 The second night we could perceive ahead of us the electric lights covering the land of Thaumasia in the midst of which lay the lake of the sun. The flood would be upon it by daybreak and assuming that the demoralization produced by the news of the coming of the waters which we were aware had hours before been flashed to the capital of Mars would prevent the Martians from effectively manning their forts we thought it safe to hasten on with the flagship and one or two others in advance of the water and to hover over the lake of the sun in the darkness in order that we might have the awful work in the morning. The giant woman drowned. She, like the rest, apprayed to the devouring flood of the canals. Thaumasia, as I have before remarked, was a broad oval land about 1,800 miles across having the lake of the sun exactly in its center. From this lake which was 400 or 500 miles in diameter and circular in outline it radiated as straight as the spokes of a wheel in every direction and connected it with the surrounding seas. Like all the other Martian continents Thaumasia lay below the level of the sea except toward the south were at front of the ocean. Completely surrounding the lake was a great ring of cities constituting the capital of Mars. Here the genius of the Martians had displayed itself to the full. The surrounding country was irrigated until it fairly bloomed with gigantic vegetation and flowers. The canals were carefully regulated with locks so that the supply of water was under complete control. The display of magnificent metallic buildings of all kinds and sizes produced a most dazzling effect and the protection against enemies afforded by the innumerable fortifications surrounding the ring city and guarding the neighboring lands seemed complete. Waiting for the flood. Suspended at a height of perhaps two miles from the surface near the southern edge of the lake we waited for the oncoming flood. With the dawn of day we began to perceive more clearly the effects which the news of the drowning of the planet had produced. It was evident that many of the inhabitants of the cities had already fled. Airships on which the fugitives hung as thick as swarms of bees were seen, elevated, but a short distance above the ground and making their way rapidly toward the south. The Martians knew that their only hope of escape lay in reaching the high southern border of the land before the floods were upon them. But they must have known also that that narrow beach would not suffice to contain one in ten of those who sought refuge there. The density of the population around the lake of the sun seemed to us incredible. Then our hearts sank within us at the sight of the fearful destruction of life for which we were responsible. Yet we comforted ourselves with the reflection that it was unavoidable. As Colonel Smith put it you couldn't trust these coyotes. The only thing to do was to drown them out. I am sorry for them but I guess there will be as many left as will be good for us anyhow. The Crest of the Waters We had not long to wait for the flood. As the dawn began to streak the east we saw its awful crest moving out of the darkness bursting across the canals and plowing its way in the direction of the crowded shores of the lake of the sun. The supply of water behind that great wave seemed inexhaustible. Five thousand miles it had traveled and yet its power was as great as when it started from the Circus Major. We caught sight of the oncoming water before it was visible to the Martians beneath us. But while it was yet many miles away the roar of it reached them and then arose a chorus of terrified cries the effect of which, coming to our ears out of the half-gloom of the morning was most uncanny and horrible. Thousands upon thousands of the Martians still remained here to become the victims of the deluge. Some perhaps had doubted the truth of the reports that the banks were down and the floods were out. Others, for one reason or another, had been unable to get away. Others, like the inhabitants of Pompeii had lingered too long or had returned after beginning their flight to secure abandoned treasures and now it was too late to get away. Engulfing the city with a roar that shook the planet the white wall rushed upon the great city beneath our feet the instant it had been engulfed. On went the flood swallowing up the lake of the sun itself and in a little while as far as our eyes could range the land of Thamesia had been turned into a raging sea. We now turned our ships toward the southern border of the land following the direction of the airships carrying the fugitives, a few of which were still navigating the atmosphere a mile beneath us. In their excitement and terror the Martians paid little attention to us although as the morning brightened they must have been aware of our presence over their heads. But apparently they no longer thought of resistance. Their only object was escape from the immediate and appalling danger. When we had progressed to a point about half way from the lake of the sun to the border of the sea having dropped down within a few hundred feet of the surface there suddenly appeared in the midst of the raging waters a sight so remarkable that at first I rubbed my eyes in astonishment not crediting the report of what they beheld. A woman forty feet high standing on the apex of a sandy elevation which still rose a few feet above the gathering flood was the figure of a woman as perfect in form and in classic beauty of feature as the Venus of Milo a magnified human being not less than forty feet in height. But for her swaying in the wild motions of her arms we should have mistaken her for a marvel statue. Aena, who happened to be looking instantly exclaimed it is the woman from Ceres. She was taken prisoner by the Martians during their last invasion of that world and since then has been a slave in the Palace of the Emperor overtaken by the flood. Apparently her great stature had enabled her to escape while her masters had been drowned. She had fled like the others toward the south but being finally surrounded by the rising waters had taken refuge in the hillock of sand where we saw her. This was fast giving way under the assault of the waves and even while we watched the water rose to her knees. Drop lower was the order of the electrical steersman of the flagship and as quickly as possible we approached the place where she stood. She had realized the hopelessness of her situation and quickly seized those appalling and despairing gestures which at first served to convince us that it was indeed a living being on whom we were looking. Save the woman from Ceres. There she stood with a light white garment thrown about her, erect, half defiant, half yielding to her fear more graceful than any Greek her arms outstretched yet motionless and her eyes upcast as if praying to her god to protect her. Her hair which shown like gold in the increasing light of day streamed over her shoulders and her great eyes were a stare between terror and supplication. So wildly beautiful a sight not one of us had ever beheld. For a moment sympathy was absorbed in admiration. Then savor was the cry that arose throughout the ship. Ropes were instantly thrown out and one or two men prepared to let themselves down in order better to aid her. But when we were almost within reach and so close that we could see the very expression of her eyes which appeared to take no note of us but to be fixed with a faraway look upon something beyond human can suddenly the undermined bank in which she stood gave way. Blood-red flood swirled in from right to left and then the waters closed above her face with many a ring. She, like the rest, is gone. If but for that woman's sake I am sorry we drowned the planet exclaimed Sydney Phillips. But a moment afterward I saw that he regretted what he had said for eyeing his eyes were fixed upon him. Perhaps, however, she did not understand his remark and perhaps if she did it gave her no offence. After this episode we pursued our way rapidly until we arrived at the shore of the southern ocean. There, as we had expected, was to be seen a narrow strip of land with the ocean on one side and the raging floods seeking to destroy it on the other. In some places it had been already broken through so that the ocean was flowing in to assist in the drowning of Thumbasia. But some parts of the coast were evidently so elevated that no matter how high the flood might rise it would not completely cover them. Here the fugitives had gathered in dense throngs and above them hovered most of the airships loaded down with others who were unable to find room upon the dry land. The Martians not discouraged. On one of the loftiest and broadest of these elevations we noticed indications of military order in the alignment of the crowds and the shore all around was guarded by gigantic pickets who mercilessly shoved back into the flood all the later comers and thus prevented two great crowding upon the land. In the center of this elevation rose a palatial structure of red metal which Aina informed us was one of the residences of the emperor and we concluded that the monarch himself was now present there. The absence of any signs of resistance on the part of the airships and the complete drowning of all of the formidable fortifications on the surface of the planet convinced us that all we now had to do in order to complete our conquest was to get possession of the person of the chief ruler. The fleet was accordingly concentrated and we rapidly approached the great Martian palace. As we came down within a hundred feet of them and boldly drove our way among their airships which retreated at our approach the Martians gazed at us with mingled fear and astonishment. We were their conquerors and they knew it. We were coming to demand their surrender and they evidently understood that also. As we approached the palace signals were made from it with brilliant colored banners which Aina informed us were intended as a token of truth. We shall have to go down fab with them I suppose, said Mr. Edison. We can't kill them off now that they are helpless but we must manage somehow to make them understand that unconditional surrender is their only chance. Aparli with the enemy. Let us take Aina with us, I suggested, and since she can speak the language of the Martians we shall probably have no difficulty in arriving at an understanding. Accordingly the flagship was carefully brought further down in front of the entrance to the palace which had been kept clear by the Martian guards and while the remainder of the squadron assembled within a few feet directly over our heads with the disintegrators turned upon the palace and the crowd below. Mr. Edison and myself accompanied by Aina stepped out upon the ground. There was a forward movement in the immense crowd but the guards sternly kept everybody back. A party of a dozen giants proceeded by one who seemed to be their commander gorgeously attired in jeweled garments advanced from the entrance of the palace to meet us. Aina addressed a few words to the leader who replied sternly and then beckoning us to follow retraced his steps into the palace. Notwithstanding our confidence that all resistance had ceased we did not deem it wise to enter into the lion's den without having taken every precaution against a surprise. Accordingly before following the Martian into the palace we had twenty of the electrical ships moored around it in such a position that they commanded not only the entrance but all of the principal windows and then a party of forty picked men each doubly armed with powerful disintegrators were selected to attend us into the building. This party was placed under the command of Colonel Smith and Sidney Phillips insisted on being a member of it. A near sight of the Martians In the meantime the Martian with his attendants who had first invited us to enter finding that we did not follow him had returned to the front of the palace. He saw the disposition that we had made of our forces and instantly comprehended its significance for his manner changed somewhat and he seemed more desirous than before to conciliate us. When he again beckoned us to enter we unhesitatingly followed him and passing through the magnificent entrance found ourselves in a vast anti-chamber adorned after the manner of the Martians in the most expensive manner. Thence we passed into a great circular apartment with a dome painted in imitation of the sky and so lofty that to our eyes it seemed like a firmament itself. Here we found ourselves approaching an elevated throne situated in the center of the apartment while long rows of brilliantly armored guards flanked us on either side and grouped around the throne some standing and others reclining upon the flights of steps which appeared to be of solid gold was an array of Martian women beautifully and becomingly attired all of whom greatly astonished us by the singular charm of their faces and bearing so different from the aspect of most of the Martians whom we had already encountered the Martians' beautiful women Despite their stature for these women averaged twelve or thirteen feet in height the beauty of their complexions of a dark olive tint was no less brilliant than that of the women of Italy or Spain at the top of the steps on a magnificent golden throne sat the emperor himself There are so many women that I have seen that are almost as ugly as the face of the Martian ruler He was a gigantic stature larger than the majority of his subjects and as near as I could judge must have been between fifteen and sixteen feet in height As I looked at him I understood a remark which had been made by Iena to the effect that the Martians were not all alike and that the peculiarities of their minds were imprinted on their faces and expressed in their forms in a very wonderful and sometimes terrible manner I had also learned from her that Mars was under a military government and that the military class had absolute control of the planet I was somewhat startled then in looking at the head and center of the gray military system of Mars to find in his appearance a striking confirmation of the speculations of our terrestrial analogists His broad misshapen head bulged in those parts where they had placed the so-called organs of combativeness destructiveness, etc Something learned about them Plainly this was an effect of his training and education His very brain had become a military engine and the aspect of his face the pitiless lines of his mouth and chin the evil glare of his eyes the attitude and carriage of his muscular body all tended to complete the war-like ensemble He was magnificently dressed in some vesture that had the luster of a polished plate of gold with the suppleness of velvet As we approached he fixed his immense, deep sad eyes sternly upon our faces The contrast between his truly terrible countenance and the evil-like features of the women in his throne was as great as if Satan after his fall had here re-enthroned himself in the midst of angels Mr. Edison, Colonel Smith, Sidney Phillips, Iena and myself advanced at the head of the procession, our guard following in close order behind us It had been evident from the moment that we entered the palace that Iena was regarded with a version by all of the Martians The woman about the throne gazed scowlingly at her as we drew near Apparently the bitterness of feeling which had led to the awful massacre of all her race had not yet vanished And indeed, since the fact that she remained alive could have been known only to the Martian who had abducted her and to his immediate companions, her reappearance with us must have been a great surprise to all those who now looked upon her The Martians succumb at last and are at our mercy It was clear to me that the feeling aroused by her appearance was every moment becoming more intense Still, the thought of a violent outbreak did not occur to me because our recent triumph had seemed so complete that I believed the Martians would be odd by our presence and would not undertake actually to injure the girl I think we all had the same event proved we were mistaken Suddenly one of the gigantic guards as if actuated by a fit of ungovernable hatred lifted his foot and kicked Ayena With a loud shriek she fell to the floor Ayena attacked by a Martian The blow was so unexpected that for a second we all remained riveted to the spot Then I saw Colonel Smith's face and lived and at the same instant heard the whir of his disintegrator while Sidney Phillips forgetting the deadly instrument that he carried in his hand sprung madly toward the brute who had kicked Ayena as if he intended to throttle him colossus as he was But Colonel Smith's aim though instantaneously taken as he had been accustomed to shoot on the planes was true and Phillips plunging madly forward seemed wreathed who missed all that the disintegrator had left of the gigantic Martian Swift vengeance Who could adequately describe the scene that followed I remember that the Martian emperor sprang to his feet looking tenfold more terrible than before I remember that they're instantly burst from the line of guards on either side crinkling beams of death fire that seemed to sear the eyeballs half a dozen of our men fall in heaps of ashes and even at that terrible moment I had time to wonder that a single one of us remained alive Rather by instinct than in consequence of any order given we formed ourselves in a hollow square with Ayena lying apparently lifeless in the center and then with gritted teeth we did our work the lines of guards melted before the disintegrators like or a licking flame a terrible battle the discharge of the lightning engines in the hands of the Martians in that confined space made an uproar so tremendous that it seemed to pass the bounds of human sense more of our men fell before their awful fire and for the second time since our arrival on this dreadful planet of war our annihilation seemed inevitable but in a moment something changed suddenly there was a discharge into the room which I knew came from one of the disintegrators of the electrical ships it swept through the crowded throng like a destroying blast instantly from another side switched a second discharge no less destructive and this was quickly followed by a third our ships were firing through the windows the power of the disintegrator just at the same moment I saw the flagship which had been moored in the air close to the entrance and floating only three or four feet above the ground pushing its way through the gigantic doorway from the anti-room with its great disintegrators pointed upon the crowd like the muzzles of a cruiser's guns and now the Martians saw that the contest was hopeless for them and their mad struggle to get out of the range of the disintegrators and to escape from the death chamber was more appalling to look upon than anything that had yet occurred this was a panic of giants they trod one another underfoot they yelled and screamed in their terror they tore each other with their claw like fingers they no longer thought of resistance the battle spirit had been blown out of them by the breath of terror that shivered their marrow no pity for our foes still the pitiless disintegrators played upon them until Mr. Edison making himself heard now that the thunder of their engines had seized to reverberate through the chamber commanded that our fire should cease in the meantime the armed Martians outside the palace hearing the uproar within seeing our men pouring their fire through the windows and supposing that we were guilty at once of treachery and assassination had attempted an attack upon the electrical ships stationed around the building but fortunately they had none of their larger engines at hand and with their hand arms alone they had not been able to stand up against the disintegrators they were blown away before the withering fire of the ships by the hundred until fleeing from destruction they rushed madly driving their unarmed companions before them into the seething waters of the flood close at hand End of Chapter 16 Recording by Roger Moline Chapter 17 of Edison's Conquest of Mars This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Christine Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Service Chapter 17 The Emperor survives Through all this terrible contest the Emperor of the Martians had remained standing upon the throne gazing at the awful spectacle and not moving from the spot Neither he nor the frightened woman gathered upon the steps of the throne had been injured by the disintegrators Their immunity was due to the fact that the position and elevation of the throne were such that it was not within the range of fire of the electrical ships which had poured their Weber 3 discharges through the windows and we inside had only directed our fire towards the warriors who had attacked us Now that the struggle was over we turned our attention to Ina Fortunately the girl had not been seriously injured and she was quickly restored to consciousness Had she been killed we would have been partitially helpless in attempting further negotiations because the knowledge which we had acquired of the language of the Martians from this prisoner captured on the golden asteroid was not sufficient to meet the requirements of the occasion The Emperor our prisoner When the Martian monarch saw that we had seized the work of death he thunk upon his throne There he remained leaning his chin upon his two hands and staring straight before him like that terrible doomed creature who fascinated the eyes of every beholder standing in the Sistine Chapel and gazing at Michael Angelo's dreadful painting of the Last Judgment This wicked Martian also felt that he was in the grasp of bitterless and irrestesable fate and that a punishment too well deserved and from which there was no possible escape now confronted him There he remained in a hopelessness which almost compelled our sympathy until Aina had so far recovered that she was once more able to act as our interpreter Then we made short work of the negotiations Speaking through Aina the commander said You know who we are We have come from the earth which by your command was laid waste Our commission was not revenge but self-protection What we have done has been view. You have just witnessed an example of our power the exercise of which was not dictated by our wish but compelled by the attack randomly made upon a helpless member of our own race under our protection We dictate terms We have laid waste your planet but it is simply a just retribution for what you did with ours. We are prepared to complete the destruction leaving not a living being in this world of yours or to grant you peace at your choice Our condition of peace is simply this All resistance must cease absolutely Quite right broke in Col. Smith let the scorpion pull out his sting or we'll do it for him Nothing that we could now do continued the commander would in my opinion save you from ultimate destruction The forces of nature which we have been compelled to let loose upon you will complete their own victory but we do not wish unnecessarily to stain our hands further with your blood We shall leave you in possession of your lives, reserve them if you can, but in case the flood recedes before you have all perished from starvation remember that you here take an oath solemnly binding yourself on your descendants forever never again to make war upon the earth We show mercy That's really the best we can do said Mr. Edison turning to us We can't possibly murder these people in cold blood The probability is that the flood has hopelessly ruined all their engines of war I do not believe that there is one chance intends that the waters will drain off in time to enable them to get at their stores of provisions from starvation It is my opinion said Lord Kelvin who had joined us his pair of disintegrators hanging by his side attached a strap running over the back of his neck very much as a farmer sometimes carries his big mittens It is my opinion that the flood will recede more rapidly than you think and that the majority of these people will survive but I quite agree with your merciful view of the matter we must be aware of Probably more than 9 tenths of the inhabitants of Mars have perished in the deluge Even if all the others survived Ages would elapse before they could regain the power to injure us The Martians submit I need not describe in detail how our propositions were received by the Martian monarch He knew and his advisors some of whom he had called in consultation and also knew that everything was in our hands to do as we pleased They readily agreed, therefore that they would make no more resistance and that we and our electrical ships would be undisturbed while we remained upon Mars The monarch took the oath prescribed after the manner of his race Thus the business was completed But through it all there had been the shadow of a sneer on the emperor's face And now we began to think of our return home and of the pleasure we should have in recounting our adventures to our friends on the earth who were doubtless, eagerly waiting for news from us We knew they had been watching Mars with powerful telescopes and we were also eager to learn how much they had seen and how much they had been able to guess of our proceedings But a day or two at least we examined the state of our provisions Those which we had brought from the earth it will be remembered had been spoiled and we had been compelled to replace them from the impressed provisions found in the Martian storehouse This compressed food had proved not only exceedingly agreeable to the taste but very nourishing and all of us had grown extremely fond of it A new supply, however, would be needed in order to carry us back to the earth At least 60 days would be required for the homeward journey because we could hardly expect to start from Mars with the same initial velocity which we had been able to generate on leaving home In considering the matter of provisioning the fleet it finally became necessary to take an account of our losses This was a thing that we had all shrunk from because they had seemed to us almost too terrible to be born But now the facts had to be faced Out of the hundred ships carrying something more than 2,000 souls with which we had quitted the earth there remained only 55 ships and 1,085 men All the others had been lost in our terrific encounters with the Martians and particularly in our first disastrous battle beneath the clouds Preparing to return Among the lost were many men whose names were famous upon the earth and whose deaths would be widely deplored when the news of it was received upon their native planet Fortunately, this number did not include any of those whom I have had occasion to mention in the course of this narrative The vulnerable Lord Kelvin who, notwithstanding his age and his pacific disposition proper to a man of science had behaved with the courage and coolness of a veteran in every crisis Once in your moist son the imminent chemist Professor Silvanus P. Thompson and the Heidelberg Professor To whom we all felt under special obligations because he had opened to our comprehension the charming lips of Aina All these had survived and were about to return with us to earth It seemed to some of us almost hurtless to deprive the Martians who still remained alive of any of the provisions which they themselves would require to tide them over the long period which must elapse before the recession of the flood should enable them to discover the sites of their ruined homes and to find the means of sustenance But necessity was now our only law We learned from Aina that there must be stores of provisions in the neighborhood of the palace because it was the custom of the Martians to lay up such stores during the harvest time in each Martian year In order to provide the contingency of an extraordinary draft It was not with very good grace that the Martian emperor acceded To our demands that one of the storehouses should be opened but resistance was useless and of course we had our way The supplies of water which we brought from earth owing to a peculiar process invented by Mansur Moisson had been kept in exceedingly good condition but they were now running low and it became necessary to replenish them also This was easily done from the southern ocean for on Mars Since the leveling of the continental elevations brought about many years ago there is comparatively little salinity in the sea waters While these preparations were going on Lord Kelvin and other men of science entered with the utmost eagerness upon those studies which had been the principal inducement leading them to embark on the expedition But almost all of the face of the planet being covered with the flood there was comparatively little that they could do Much however could be learned with the aid of Aina from the Martians now crowded on the land about the palace The results of these discoveries will in due time appear fully elaborated in learned and authoritative treatises shared by these seven themselves I shall only call attention to one which seemed to be very remarkable I have already said that there was astonishing differences in the personal appearance of the Martians evidently arising from differences of character and education which had impressed themselves in the physical aspect of the individuals We now learn that these differences were more completely the result of education than we had at first supposed Looking about among the Martians by whom we were surrounded it soon became easy for us to tell who were the soldiers and who were the civilians simply by the appearance of their bodies and particularly of their heads All members of the military class resembled to a greater or less extent the monarch himself in that those parts of their skulls which our paralogists had designated as the bumps of destructiveness combativeness and so on were enormously disproportionately developed and all this as we were assured was completely under the control of the Martians themselves they had learned or invented methods by which the brain itself could be manipulated so to speak and any desired portions of it could be specially developed while the other parts of it were left to their normal growth and once was that in the Martian schools and colleges there was no teaching in our sense of the word it was all brain culture a Martian youth selected to be a soldier had his fighting faculties specially developed together with those parts of the brain which impart courage and steadiness of NERM he who was intended for scientific investigation had his brain developed into a mathematical machine or an instrument of observation poets and literary men had their heads bulging with their imaginative faculties the heads of inventors were developed into a still different shape and so said Aina translating for us the words of a professor in the Imperial University of Mars from whom we derived the greater part of our information on this subject the Martian boys do not study a subject they do not have to learn it but when their brains have been sufficiently developed in the proper direction they comprehend it instantly by a kind of divine instinct but among the women of Mars we saw none of those curious and to our eyes monstrous differences of development while the men received in addition to their special education abroad general culture also with the women there was no special education it was all general in its character it was thorough enough in that way the consequence was that only female brains upon Mars were entirely well balanced this was the reason why we invariably found the Martian women to be remarkably charming creatures with none of those physical exaggerations and uncaused developments which disfigured their masculine companions all the books of the Martians we asserted were books of history and of poetry for scientific treatises they had no need because as I have explained when the brains of those intended for scientific pursuits had been developed in the proper way the knowledge of nature's laws came to them without effort as a spring bubbles from the rocks one word of explanation may be needed concerning the failure of the Martians with all their marvelous powers to invent electrical ships like those of Mr. Edison an engines of destruction comparable with our disintegrators this failure was simply due to the fact that on Mars there did not exist the peculiar metals by the combination of which Mr. Edison had been able to effect his wonders the theory involved in our inventions was perfectly understood by them and had they possessed the means doubtless they would have been able to carry it into practice even more effectively than they had done after two or three days all the preparations having been completed the signal was given for our departure the men of science were still unwilling to leave this strange world but Mr. Edison decided that we could linger no longer at the moment of starting a most tragic event occurred our fleet was assembled around the palace and the signal was given to rise slowly to a considerable height velocity to the electrical ships as we slowly rose we saw the immense crowd of giants beneath us with upturned faces watching our departure the Mars and Moon Earth and all his suit had come out upon the terrace of the palace to look at us at a moment when he probably supported himself to be unwatched he shook his fist at the retreating fleet my eyes and those of several others in the flagship chance to be fixed upon him just as he made the gesture one of the women of his suit in her eagerness to watch us apparently lost her balance and stumbled against him without a moment's hesitation with a tremendous blow he felt her like an ox at his feet a fearful oath broke from the lips of Col. Smith who was one of those looking on a chance that he stood near the principal disintegrator before anybody could interfere he had sighted and discharged it the entire force of the terrible engine almost capable of destroying a fort fell upon the Martian Emperor and not merely blew him into a cloud of atoms but opened a great cavity in the ground in the spot where he had stood a shout arose from the Martians but they were too much astounded at what had occurred to make any hostile demonstrations and anyhow they knew well that they were completely at our mercy Mr. Edison was on the point of rebuking Col. Smith for what he had done but Ina interposed I'm glad it was done said she for now only can you be safe that monster was more directly responsible than any other inhabitant of Mars for all the wickedness of which they have been guilty the expedition against the Earth inspired solely by him there is a tradition among the Martians which my people however could never credit that he possessed a kind of immortality they declared that it was he who led the former expedition against the Earth when my ancestors were brought away prisoners from their happy home and that it was his image which they had set up in stone in the midst of the land of sand he prolonged his existence as a legend by drinking the waters of a wonderful fountain the secret of whose precise location was known to him alone but which was situated at that point where in your maps of Mars the name of the font's Juventai occurs he was personified wickedness that I know and he never would have kept his oath if power had returned to him again to injure the Earth in destroying him you have made your victory secure End of chapter 17 Chapter 18 of Edison's Conquest of Mars this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Christine Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett B. Service Chapter 18 When at length we once more saw our native planet with its well-remembered features of land and sea rolling beneath our eyes the feeling of joy that came over us transcended all powers of expression in order that all the nations which had united in sending out the expedition should have visual evidence of its triumphant return it was decided to make the entire circuit of the Earth before seeking our starting point and disembarking the sounds in all known languages telling the story of what we had done were accordingly prepared and then we dropped down through the air until again we saw the well-loved blue dome our our heads and found ourselves suspended directly above the white-topped cone of Fujiyama the sacred mountain of Japan shifting our place towards the northeast we hung above the city of Tokyo and dropped down into the crowds to watch us the prepared accounts of our journey which the moment they had been read and comprehended led to such an outburst of rejoicing as it would be quite impossible to describe one of the ships containing the Japanese members of the expedition dropped to the ground and we left them in the midst of their rejoicing countrymen before we started and re-remained but a short time suspended above the Japanese capital to greet us with their cheers we now repeated what we had done during our first examination of the surface of Mars we simply remained suspended in the atmosphere allowing the Earth to turn beneath us as Japan receded in the distance we found China beginning to appear shifting our position a little towards the south we again came to rest over the city of Pekin where once more we parted with some of our companions the outburst of universal rejoicing was repeated from Asia crossing the Caspian Sea we passed over Russia visiting in turn Moscow and St. Petersburg still the great globe rolled steadily beneath and still we kept the sun with us now Germany appeared and now Italy and then France and England as we shifted our position first north then south in order to give all the world the opportunity to see that its warriors had returned victorious from their far conquest and in each country as it passed beneath our feet we left some of the comrades who had shared our perils and our adventures as length the Atlantic had rolled away under us and we saw the spires of the New York the news of our coming back had been flushed ahead from all Europe and our countrymen were prepared to welcome us we had originally started it will be remembered at midnight and now again as we approached the new capital of the world the curtain of night was just beginning to be drawn over it but our signal lights were ablaze and through these they were aware of our approach again the air was filled with bursting rockets and shaken with the roar of cannon and with wallowing cheers poured from millions of throats as we came to rest directly above the city three days after the landing of the fleet and when the first enthusiasm of our reception had a little past I received a beautifully engraved card inviting me to be present in Trinity Church at the wedding of Aina and Sydney Philips when I arrived at the church which had been splendidly decorated I found there Mr Edison, Lord Kelvin and all the other members of the crew of the flagship and considerably to my surprise Colonel Smith was immediately attired and with the grace for the position of which I had not given him credit gave away the beautiful bride but Alonso Jefferson Smith was a man and a soldier every inch of him I asked her for myself he whispered to me after the ceremony swallowing a great lump in his throat but she has had the desire of her heart I am going back to the planes I can get the command again and I still know how to fight and thus was united for all future time the first stem of the Aryan race which had been long lost but not destroyed with the latest offspring of that great family and the link which had served to bring them together was the far away planet of Mars End of chapter 18 and this is the end of Edison's